A/N: This is slightly short but I'm exhausted and still have a paper to write before I go to bed, wake up to write more of my paper and do more assignments in preparation for Finals weeks this week and next week. ...yay...

Chapter 52 summary: In which the sun destroys the Shadows and Kaiba is saved by a bond and saves another bond from destruction.

Bonds, Both Old and New

When the dome went, it exploded. Mokuba flinched at the intensity of the glow. It felt like staring directly at the sun. He closed his eyes and turned his head into Helios's clothes to escape the brilliance that burned through his eyelids. When he peaked out again, the dome was disintegrating and he could open his eyes without being blinded.

He squinted through the blaze and could barely make out people. The Justice League members were tall and blocked most of his view but the fact the dome was almost gone gave him hope. The superheroes were staring back at Mokuba and Helios in shock but Mokuba was too busy staring through the tall bodies at the slumped form he would recognize anywhere. Releasing Helios's hand, he ran.

"Mokuba, wait!"

The younger Kaiba ignored Helios's call and ran as fast as he could, weaving through the superheroes and dodging around the Pharaoh's tried, passed Ammit and its unconscious prisoner, to where the person wearing Seto's face knelt bound by Shadows. Blue eyes that were just a shade or so off from Seto's watched Mokuba's progress in shock mingled with curiosity. Mokuba ignored the strange eyes and Shadows and pounced on the being with his brother's face, holding him tight.

"Please," he whispered in gentle Japanese in Seto's ear. "I don't know who you are, but I can guess. I'm not afraid of you and I'm not mad at you." He sniffled and squeezed his brother's body tighter. "But please give me my brother back."

"He can't little boy," a voice Mokuba cursed to the darkest depths of Hell said.

Mokuba squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes you can," he said. "You're not evil like him. Please. Give him back. He's all I have."

Blue eyes watered and closed as tears began to spill over onto pale cheeks. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I don't know how."

Mokuba leaned back to meet his brother's eyes currently borrowed by the being in his brother's body. "Then let me help you."

Seto's head shook, slowly. "No," he pleaded softly. "Please don't. I'm whole now. I don't want to be torn again."

Mokuba placed his small hands on his brother's face, stopping the negative shake and soothing the strange being. "It's okay," he said, smiling encouragingly. "I won't let it hurt. I'll be right here."

The blue eyes filled with emotion; hope for success and fear for what would happen if success was achieved.

"It's pointless little boy," Akhenadin said. "He's going to suffer a Penalty Game for breaking his oath."

Mokuba stiffened when his brother's body suddenly arched and trembled as the Shadows binding his brother's body darkened and began seeping into his pores. His dark gray eyes looked up at the people standing nearby, silently pleading for help. He noticed Arrow twitching, fighting the Shadows preventing him from helping. That was when Mokuba realized he was the only one moving freely.

"I think not," Helios said.

Mokuba spun around to see Helios standing between the Pharaoh's triad and the King's triad. The Titan glowed with the power of the Greek and Egyptian sun. Akhenadin spun around to stare at the interloper furiously.

"Who the hell are you?" Akhenadin demanded. "This is a Shadow affair."

Helios gazed at the one-eyed man in the middle of the illuminated triangle before dismissing him. "Mokuba," he said. "Do what you have to do. Nothing will stop you." He returned his gaze to the furious old man. "You have my word."

Mokuba nodded and pulled his brother's body close, pressing their foreheads together. "Ni-sama," he called. "Come back to me, please. I need you. Don't leave me."

"You have no right to interfere!" Akhenadin cried.

Helios turned his burning gaze to Akhenadin. "I am a Titan and the Greek personification of the sun and I do have the right to interfere for several reasons one of which being I have the full support of your god Ra-Horakhty." Molten gold eyes narrowed. "I'm also low on patience for you in particular."

"Helios!" The Titan turned to where the Amazon princess stood staring at him in shock. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Fullfilling a promise I made long ago," he replied. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Artemis I was here."

Seto's body tensed, muscles bunching as the being withing Seto's body fought against both the Penalty Game and the ripping pain in his soul. He twitched pathetically, trying to pull away from Mokuba and escape the pain but the boy held him firmly in place. Mokuba continued calling for his brother and despite the resitance, he felt a response. So he said the three words he knew Seto had never been able to resist.

"Help me, Ni-sama."

The being wearing Seto's face cried out and slumped forward gasping. When he sat up and lifted his eyes, Mokuba smiled. It was Seto, he was back. Seto wrapped his arms around his brother, pulled him into his lap, and buried his face in his little brother's neck. He was back. He was free.

"Ni-sama," Mokuba said in what was absolutely not a sob.

A puff of warm, moist air ruffled Mokuba's black hair and he lifted his eyes to see the Blue Eyes White Dragon snuffling the two brothers curiously. He smiled and raised a hand which the dragon met halfway with her scaly nose. She crooned happily.

"Kaiba! Are you alright?"

Seto turned to the Pharaoh and nodded, still trying to process what happened. "I…yes, I'm fine."

"Ra be thanked," Yami sighed in relief, sagging in the Shadows' hold.

"But what about Seth?" Ishizu asked from behind her Regent.

Mokuba blinked in surprise and from the look in Seto's eyes, his older brother had just asked himself the same question. Then the two brothers noticed the Shadows that had been binding the Regent in place before sinking into his body to play a Penalty Game.

"Set," Helios called drawing everyone's attention. "Are you well?"

Seto blinked trying to assess. Instead of answering, Seto's eyes glazed over and Mokuba knew his big brother had gone in search of Seth.

Kaiba opened his eyes to find himself in his soul room. It was silent and still. Kaiba hated it. More importantly, Seth was nowhere in sight. He looked up and saw the door to Seth's soul room was shut. It was not supposed to be shut.

Kaiba strode up to the door and pushed on it. It would not budge. He pushed harder, still nothing. Feeling fear begin to grow in his heart, Kaiba stepped back slammed his shoulder against the door.

"Seth!" he called. No response and the door still would not open.

Kaiba stepped back and took a deep breath to brace himself for another slam and noticed a small cloud emanate from his mouth. He could see his breath. Blue eyes widened and looked around his soul room. The frost was coming back rapidly. Kaiba watched in terrible fascination as the frost literally formed before his eyes, climbing up the walls and creeping across the floor.

"Seth!" he cried, slamming his shoulder against the wooden door once more.

This was getting him nowhere. Kaiba stepped back and kicked the door as hard as he could. He kicked again and felt the wood give a little. Growling in growing frustration, Kaiba called his Shadows to him, drew strength from them, and charged the door. It worked. The door opened.

But Kaiba's victory was short-lived. The moment the door opened, Kaiba was forced to flail and grab the swinging wood as sound deafened him and rushing air pummeled him. He kicked his legs out and was horrified to find no floor, only an endless abyss of complete darkness. Kaiba kicked out with his legs, using his weight to swing the door back to where he could safely plant his feet on the floor of his own soul room and pull himself back to where he could stand on his own.

Only then did he turn around and actually take in what had happened. Seth's soul room was all but gone. There was a huge gap in the floor separating Kaiba's soul room and the far side of Seth's soul room, the only part of it that remained. The rushing air only seemed to affect Seth's room whereas Kaiba's was completely calm and untouched except for the ever growing frost.

Kaiba lifted his eyes and saw Seth's soul manifestation huddled in the only part of the once large stone soul room that was left standing. But the only way to get to Seth was by jumping over the huge gape which seemed intent on sucking everything down into its depths. Something told Kaiba that if he did not go to Seth now, he would lose his other half forever.

That was unacceptable. Seth was his. Nothing took away what belonged to Kaiba Seto and got away with it.

Kaiba backed up to the door to his own soul room and readying himself. Then he ran across the floor and leapt from the ledge. He barely made it across, but the fact remained that he made it.

He pushed himself up from his crouched position and struggled against the wind to reach Seth. He reached out to shake the huddle form and froze. Shadows were snaking around Seth's soul manifestation like worms and seeping from his pores like maggots. It took Kaiba a moment to comprehend what had happened and when he did, he felt cold. After their souls had been separated, Seth had taken the Penalty Game they both should have played thereby protecting Kaiba from its affects. That was why Seth's door had been closed tight. He had been protecting Kaiba the only way he knew how, by confining the Shadows to his own soul room.

That meant this must be how the Penalty Game had manifested. It was literally destroying Seth's soul room and eating Seth's soul manifestation alive. Like hell Kaiba was going to let that happen.

Snarling, Kaiba grabbed Seth's arm which dangled limply closest to him and pulled the other soul over so he could swing the manifestation over his shoulder. Kaiba may be slender in build but he was all muscle. He secured Seth in a fireman's hold and stood, fighting against the sucking wind. The rocks beneath him began crumbling into dust, disappearing into the black hole at the bottom of the abyss that now separated both soul manifestations and the door to Kaiba's soul room.

But Kaiba had been through worse. There was no way he was going to let a hole prevent him from getting out of here. He had had his heart crushed, his soul ripped from his body at least twice and counting, three times if he counted the Memory World MORPG, single-handedly rebuilt KaibaCorp from the ground up reestablishing it as a toy and entertainment company instead of the weapons development company it had been, became the youngest CEO in KaibaCorp history, was second best in the world of Duel Monsters, and was the Regent of the Shadow Realm and Earthbound Shadow Kingdom. Like hell a piddly little hole was going to beat him.

Steeling himself, Kaiba drew on his Shadows for strength and used them to help propel him forward. He managed to get his toe onto the floor of his soul room before losing momentum. Kaiba slung Seth's soul manifestation into his room and rode the momentum forward until he too slammed onto the frosty mosaic of Kisara and the Blue Eyes White Dragon. There was a whooshing sound followed by a loud bang and then abrupt silence.

Kaiba hesitantly glanced over his shoulder and was stunned to see the door to Seth's room which had been in the middle of the stone column separating the wall overlooking the ancient Egyptian city and which he and Seth had only just came through was gone. Only smooth, unmarked stone remained. Kaiba gulped and quickly focused on Seth's soul manifestation lying unmoving on to floor next to him.

Kaiba picked himself up and hauled his aching body over so he could roll Seth onto his back. Seth was unnaturally still except for the Shadows still feasting on him. Gasping for breath, Kaiba pressed his ear to Seth's chest and had to close his eyes to hear the faintest heartbeat. Seth was safe and alive in Kaiba's soul room. But what now?

Kaiba had never heard of any soul surviving long without a soul room to go with it. Without a soul room to house it, the soul would wander aimlessly seeking a new one or something to anchor it in place. Seth's soul room was gone, wiped from existence by the Penalty Game that was still attempting to devour Seth's soul manifestation alive. Kaiba panicked. He did not have any Spells or Traps which could stop something like this.

But he did have experience. Kaiba remembered his previous incarnation giving and receiving the life-giving heka from his fellow High Priests on several occasions. It could be used to renew Seth's strength and potentially fight back against the Shadows.

Hesitantly, Kaiba took both of Seth's limp hands in his own, completing the circle and closed his eyes just as he remembered his previous incarnation doing and pushed. He felt his life energy flow out from his soul through his arm and into Seth, rejuvenating the other soul and forcing the taint from the Penalty Game up Seth's other arm and into Kaiba's other arm. Hopefully, since the Penalty Game was only cast for one person, the Shadows would assume they had made a mistake or finished the job and stop attacking.

Kaiba gave a muffled cry when the Shadows began gnawing at his own soul, carrying out the Penalty Game just as they had been commanded. But after a few seconds, the Shadows paused in confusion. They recognized Kaiba was a separate being from the one on whom the Penalty Game had been cast. After a minute or so, the Shadows began to cease their attacks. It took some effort and Kaiba was sweating when he finally felt the Shadows fade and the flow of heka eased off to a more manageable rate. Now pure, untainted heka began flowing into and out of Seth to match Kaiba's. The Penalty Game was gone. They had succeeded.

Gasping from the effort, Kaiba lifted his head and was faintly surprised to find the frost receding once more. He was still shivering from the cold and the effort he had just put forth, but Seth was definitely worse off. Kaiba got to his feet and dragged his other half to his futon in the traditional Japanese corner of his soul room, flipped the blankets up, and tucked Seth under the covers.

Here Kaiba could keep and eye on his other half while Seth rested and recovered from the attack. In the meantime, Kaiba had some unfinished business to attend to. Not to mention, he could feel Mokuba calling him and he had to answer. But first, Kaiba gently tucked stray strands of sweat soaked chestnut hair from Seth's tan face and placed two fingers against Seth's throat. Satisfied he could still feel a steady pulse, Kaiba pressed his forehead to Seth's and whispered, "Thank you, my Ba."

Then he faded from his soul room and blinked back to reality. Only a few seconds had passed in the real world, but Kaiba was back and he was positively livid.